Uhuru’s Pan-African push: Is it a country or personal agenda? 

Kenya has over the past few months been eager to earn back its Pan-Africanist stripes in a campaign that is spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta and characterised by strong anti-Western rhetoric.

The latest evidence of this shift in the country’s foreign policy was presented during the 50th anniversary celebrations on December 12. 

In an impassioned speech, the president tied Kenya’s future to that of her African neighbours and made various commitments to the larger Pan-Africanist agenda.

“Kenya’s national interest is anchored on regional and continental integration,” said Mr Kenyatta.

The president was reiterating sentiments that have peppered his speeches since his days on the campaign trail.

But the big question is whether the new push is informed by growth metrics or is another ploy by Mr Kenyatta’s government to shield himself and his deputy, William Ruto, from the International Criminal Court cases.

INVALUABLE TO THEM

Pursuing the Pan-African agenda behoves Kenya and the Jubilee Government on two levels.

On purely economic terms, the fate of Kenya and every other country in Africa is tied to that of its neighbours.

Intra-African trade, the World Bank has stated, can greatly help boost the gross domestic product (GDP) of African states.

Further, integration and building cross-border infrastructure leads to the opening up of ever larger markets.

If Africa can sell its natural resources to its own citizens, dependence on the East and West will be dramatically reduced, not to mention the fact that some natural resources do not respect man-made boundaries.

More immediately, however, President Kenyatta realises that the support of African allies is invaluable even as he faces the ICC.

“There has been a serious reassessment of Kenya’s position vis-à-vis the Western powers that have sometimes been seen as oppressive with the way they deal in Kenya. Economically, politically, and morally, the government seems to be out to prove that it is other African countries that count, not the West,” said United States International University scholar Macharia Munene.

The commitments that President Kenyatta made during Kenya’s 50th anniversary celebrations do not individually represent tectonic shifts in any single area. Collectively, however, they do send a strong message about Kenya’s foreign policy priorities.

Holders of African passports, the president said, will now be entitled to visas on arrival based on the principle of reciprocity.

This means that any visitor coming into Kenya from countries that offer Kenyans visas on arrival should expect similar treatment.

Kenya already offers visas on arrival or visa-free entry into Kenya to most countries south of the Sahara.

Exceptions are made only for security purposes or for countries with strained diplomatic relations with Kenya.

“The extended stay for six months is what is different from the current set-up. Currently, visitors coming to Kenya from most of these countries can stay a maximum three months before they are required to obtain a work permit or exit and re-enter the country,” said career diplomat Ochieng Adala.

STALLED INITIATIVES

Kenya also seems to have renewed commitment to two pan-African initiatives that have remained stalled for years.

In 1988, African countries adopted the Yamoussoukro Declaration for the liberalisation of air services.

In 2000, the decision was endorsed by the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) before it became binding in 2002.

Little has been achieved as some African governments seek to protect their weak or failing national carriers.

The lack of an integrated air transport regime among African states coupled with high operational costs have been repeatedly blamed for the poor development of the continent’s aviation industry.

Kenya Airways, South African Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines are the only notable continental carriers making major strides to multiple locations on the continent.

Although the aviation industry is increasingly becoming important for Africa’s economic integration, the ability of local airlines to access continental markets remains hindered by restrictive regulatory policies.

Kenya now wants to help steer the process for the implementation of the declaration.

Further, President Kenyatta threw his weight behind efforts to accelerate the implementation of segments of the 1991 Abuja Treaty that makes provisions for the creation of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA).

Plans to establish a Pan-African trade pact was agreed upon by leaders at the African Union Summit, which took place from 23 to 30 January 2012 under the theme boosting intra-African trade with a 2017 deadline.

The proposed CFTA would be a key component of the AU’s strategy to boost trade within the region by at least 25-30 per cent in the next decade.

Intra-African trade currently stands at 12 per cent of total trade, compared to 60 per cent for Europe, 40 per cent for North America, and 30 per cent for ASEAN, according to statistics cited by the WTO.

Despite leaders’ endorsement of the declaration, however, several representatives from various regional groupings insisted that it was premature to think of establishing a CFTA by 2017, given that another plan to consolidate three existing free trade areas into a smaller, 26-nation “Tripartite FTA,” is still facing challenges of its own.

The smaller “Tripartite FTA,” if finalised, would span three existing regional economic communities, namely the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) — or 26 countries in total.

CHAIR TO THE REGIONAL BLOC

But Kenya’s increased focus on regional integration extends beyond rhetoric.

Last month, President Kenyatta assumed chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC). The rotational position was initially meant to pass on to Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.

Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda have taken the vanguard in implementing measures to ease the free movement of people, goods, and capital within the trade bloc. 

Cabinet secretaries from ministries which have traditionally taken the back seat to community affairs are now at the forefront. 

Communication sector ministers met in Nairobi two weeks ago to develop a framework for curbing the sky-high rates for making international calls within the region.